Works and Days of Division – 29 poems by Martyn Crucefix
Drawing on two disparate sources, this sequence of mongrel-bred poems has been written to respond to the historical moment in this most disunited kingdom. Hesiod’s Works and Days – probably the oldest poem in the Western canon – is a poem driven by a dispute between brothers. The so-called vacana poems originate in the bhakti religious protest movements in 10-12th century India. Through plain language, repetition and refrain, they offer praise to the god, Siva, though they also express personal anger, puzzlement, even despair. Dear reader – if you like what you find here, please share the poems as widely as you can (no copyright restrictions). Or follow this blog for future postings. Bridges need building.
Tuesday 5.03.2019
‘I find oval breasts’
after Devara Dasimayya
I find oval breasts
and long hair approaching
I sniff the scent of perfume
call it a woman
I find a shovel-shaped beard
broad shoulders
a stance splayed like scissors
I call it a man
but look closer
consider these creatures
that hover between
neither man nor woman
welcome at last welcome
this is no complaint
to a younger brother
all sisters and brothers
I find a gigantic crowd
with my five senses
all sisters and brothers
I know a host of angels
turning to each other
singing I see barbed wire
on the perimeter
all the bridges down
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